California
high school students and state legislators will hold a town hall meeting to debate
a proposal to crack down on drivers using wireless phones, from 1 to 2 p.m.,
Thursday, Feb. 12 at the State Capitol room 126. The event is sponsored by the
LegiSchool Project at California State University, Sacramento.

Participants will focus on AB 45, which would make it an infraction to drive
while using a wireless phone unless it was used hands-free. Punishment would
be up to $20 for the first offense and up to $50 for subsequent offenses.

Among the questions to be discussed will be whether talking on a cell phone is
more dangerous than other driver activities, such as changing a radio station,
and whether government should regulate when people use the phone.

Panelists will include State Sen. Wesley Chesbro (D-Arcata) and Assemblymembers
John J. Benoit (R-Riverside) and Joe Simitian (D-San Carlos).

Students from Kennedy High School in Sacramento and Ukiah High School will attend
the meeting. Hundreds of other students in California will view the meeting live
on the California Channel or on videotape. Paula Gardner, a professor from the
CSUS College of Education, will moderate.

The LegiSchool Project is an award-winning civic education effort of CSUS and
the State Legislature, administered by the Center for California Studies.

More information is available from LegiSchool Project Director Kolleen Ostgaard
at (916) 278-6906, or by visiting www.csus.edu/legischool. Media assistance is
available from CSUS public affairs at (916) 278-6156.